ROAST LAMB WITH SWEET POTATOES, LENTILS AND TOASTED HAZELNUTS

Preparation 20 minutes Cooking about 3 hours 30 minutes Serves 8 After cooking the lamb, make sure to season each individual slice with a mixture of cumin, pepper and salt – that’s the trick to this dish. The crunch of the beans, lentils and toasted hazelnuts adds a pleasing texture, too.

1.8kg lamb shoulder, on the bone olive oil 1 tbsp ground cumin 1 tsp fennel seeds 1 tbsp paprika 25g parsley, chopped 25g coriander, chopped 4 sweet potatoes, unpeeled and cut into chunks 200g baby squash, chopped and deseeded 200ml black lentils 75g hazelnuts 25g butter 2 garlic cloves, sliced 3 handfuls of green beans 50ml white wine

1 Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan oven) gas mark 6. Rub the lamb with some olive oil, the spices and chopped herbs. Put in a roasting dish and roast for three hours. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and leave to rest. 2 Put the sweet potatoes and squash in a roasting dish, toss with a little oil and cook in the oven for 30 minutes until tender and golden. 3 Rinse the lentils, place in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil; simmer for 15 minutes until cooked. 4 Meanwhile, toast the hazelnuts in a pan for a minute or two until golden, then set aside. 5 Heat another splash of olive oil in a frying pan with the butter and garlic, adding the green beans and white wine to sauté for five minutes. Season and add the lentils. Serve the mixture on a platter along with the potatoes, squash and hazelnuts. 6 Slice the lamb, seasoning each piece of meat with salt, pepper and cumin. Serve with a salad.